1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a method of harvesting and processing sugar-producing crops such as sweet sorghum. More particularly the present invention relates to a process for cutting and processing sweet sorghum in the field to yield its juices, and then to further process the juice via fermentation and distillation to produce ethanol.
2. Background Art
Traditionally, sweet sorghum has been harvested for sorghum syrup production by either cutting and handling the stalks by hand, or by chopping the stalks and blowing the chop into a forage wagon; in either case, the resulting plant matter is carried to a central processing station for the extraction of the juices, cooking and reduction of the juices to sorghum syrup.
The former method requires a large expenditure of manual labor and is typically used in small, such as family sized operations. The juice from the stalks is often squeezed using a single-roller press powered by a horse, mule, or lawn tractor.
The method of chopping the stalks in the field like ensilage is less labor intensive than the previously mentioned method and larger crops may be harvested and processed this way. The drawbacks of this method, however, include: an enormous amount of crop must be transported out of the field to a central processing location, and the resultant organic matter must then be either returned to the field or otherwise disposed of.
Energy is a matter of concern to the country, and will continue to be for some time. Air pollution has improved over the past several decades, but still remains an issue in parts of this country, as well. A recognized partial solution to both the energy and pollution problems is ethanol. Sweet sorghum juice, due to its high sugar content, is an ideal raw material for the production of ethanol. Sweet sorghum has the potential to produce over twice the ethanol per acre as corn, the most common raw material used for ethanol production, today, at significantly less cost. As it stands presently, a more efficient method of harvesting of the sorghum crop must be employed to make the use of this crop for ethanol production feasible.
There is, therefore, a need for a low-labor, efficient process for harvesting and field processing sweet sorghum and extracting the juices for further processing at or near the fields of each producer.